Right before

…They worked in silence, making themselves and the smaller boat ready to embark. They rowed in unison, gently breaking the waves, cruising in quietly and deliberately, timid and un-announced. The tightness of his face reflected the pressure in his stomach as the sound of the waves striking the rocky beachhead intensified. They were arriving safely, but this was of no comfort. The warm wind chilled, heeding him to pay attention, to be…aware.

The sky was a navy blue sea of diamonds, shining brightly, coldly, and perfectly over the solid blackness of ocean below. The unseen already in motion, all was now in place. Events in the forefront could begin. And they did begin. At that moment, at that arc of realization, on this, the most visually beautiful night of his life.